written by Susan Barranca


A few days ago, our DJR writer Brenda Nicholas, wrote a news story discussing fake memoirs being published. She started her article by writing about, "Misha Defonseca, who admits that her memoir, "Misha: A Memoir of the Holocaust Years," about escaping the Nazis during WWII by running away with a pack of wolves, is a fabrication.

Well, Yet another fake memoir has been published. You would think after the James Frey scandal, publishers would be a little more dilligent checking out these stories. But I have to agree with Brenda, when she pondered why can't these memoirs just be published as novels?

I think that publishers and authors might be trying to exploit the reading public by claiming horrific stories as real experiences. Does it make the story less real to know that it was a work of imagination?

The newest fake memoir is "Love and Consequences" by Maragret B. Jones.

Like James Frey, Jones was claiming a Native American heritage. In her case, she was claiming half-Native American status. Apparently her novel was being praised before it was actually recalled by the publishers - with a full refund offered.

I have to wonder, if the novel could have stood on its own merits, why was it necessary to masquerade it as a memoir?

You can give your opinions here!